Insights

Why Backup the Cloud?

Data loss/data corruption is one of the biggest fears businesses face these days due to increasing amounts of information being transferred and created across technology platforms. We are always reminded to “back up, back up” but how many of us really do? Many businesses subscribe to Software as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, which unfortunately don’t always take into account potential data loss.

The common perception nowadays is- “we are paying for the Office 365, or Google Apps, or Salesforce, or Box subscription and if any data was lost- we can simply call the Vendor and ask to restore our data…” Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the majority of the cloud-based solutions have no backup component or even Service Level Agreement (SLA) that would cover corporate data. As a result, your business is the only party really interested in having your important data kept securely or backed up.

You must ensure your business has a bulletproof backup system in place.

Below is an overview of the risks of not having a Backup service for SaaS solutions and the benefits of backing up your corporate data.

Cryptolocker and the like…

All sorts of ‘events’ can damage, corrupt or event encrypt your information ….system errors, electricity outages, third-party software being used or a virus coming into the system. Be aware, SaaS applications do not always protect your data from these sorts of events. Even if you can restore your data by using trash folder or any built in alternatives, this process is generally long, manual and will slow down your business operations. The Backup as-a-Service keeps all corporate files (including all the versions) in a secured location, where no one can delete or modify them. When required, files are restored back to the same mailbox, or data location, retaining the folder structure or can be exported to a zip file.

User mistakes.

At one time or another, we’ve all accidentally deleted an important file or email and panicked before realising it’s easily recoverable from the Trash folder. Now, what if the Trash folder never existed —employees tap the delete key, and corporate information is gone forever. The more information that is stored in SaaS services, without a cloud backup solution option, the more vulnerable the business is to user mistakes. Cloud Backup as-a-Service is a solution with backup, search, and restore features for Google Apps, Salesforce, Office 365, and Box — some of the most-used cloud platforms — this will ensure data is never permanently deleted, even if mistakes are made.

Users can also deliberately destroy data.

Any employee may deliberately change or delete data at any point of time. A disgruntled employee with the right access, can delete your entire intellectual property in minutes. When businesses have a lot of information stored in the Cloud, it is impossible to track whether all the files are in the original location or not (unless you have installed a special solution that will do it for you). Purposeful and malicious data deletion may result in catastrophic data loss for a business. The Backup as a Service stores your data in ISO 27001 certified datacenters and prevents anyone, even the administrator from permanently removing data.